UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Fourteen pathways between urban transportation and health: A conceptual model and literature review

Glazener, A; Sanchez, K; Ramani, T; Zietsman, J; Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ; Mindell, JS; Fox, M; (2021) Fourteen pathways between urban transportation and health: A conceptual model and literature review. Journal of Transport and Health , 21 , Article 101070. 10.1016/j.jth.2021.101070. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1-s2.0-S2214140521001006-main.pdf]
Preview
Text
1-s2.0-S2214140521001006-main.pdf - Published Version

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Introduction: Transportation is an integral part of our daily lives, giving us access to people, education, jobs, services, and goods. Our transportation choices and patterns are influenced by four interrelated factors: the land use and built environment, infrastructure, available modes, and emerging technologies/disruptors. These factors influence how we can or choose to move ourselves and goods. In turn, these factors impact various exposures, lifestyles and health outcomes. / Aim and methods: We developed a conceptual model to clarify the connections between transportation and health. We conducted a literature review focusing on publications from the past seven years. We complemented this with expert knowledge and synthesized information to summarize the health outcomes of transportation, along 14 identified pathways. / Results: The pathways linking transportation to health include those that are beneficial, such as when transportation serves as means for social connectivity, independence, physical activity, and access. Some pathways link transportation to detrimental health outcomes from air pollution, road travel injuries, noise, stress, urban heat islands, contamination, climate change, community severance, and restricted green space, blue space, and aesthetics. Other possible effects may come from electromagnetic fields, but this is not definitive. We define each pathway and summarize its health outcomes. We show that transportation-related exposures and associated health outcomes, and their severity, can be influenced by inequity and intrinsic and extrinsic effect modifiers. / Conclusions: While some pathways are widely discussed in the literature, others are new or under-researched. Our conceptual model can form the basis for future studies looking to explore the transportation-health nexus. We also propose the model as a tool to holistically assess the impact of transportation decisions on public health.

Type: Article
Title: Fourteen pathways between urban transportation and health: A conceptual model and literature review
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jth.2021.101070
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2021.101070
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords: Public health, Transportation, Motor vehicles, Urban, Equity, Mortality, Morbidity
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10127610
Downloads since deposit
171Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item